1. "Big Data"- I only give this one a 6 because it's been proven time and time again that most people don't actually know what these words mean. In my opinion, the past YEARS were the years of big data. The question now is not if you know about it, it’s about what you’re doing with it.

2. “Going Mobile”- 10! Captain Dash has been rooting for mobile since the beginning, which is why we’ve made our application on iPad. The modern executive is always on the move and it's not realistic to believe that he can be plugged into a desktop all day long. He/she needs to be able to get updates throughout the day and have the ability to communicate information, analytics, results, data, and news as easily as sending a text message.
Controlling a meeting with a mobile device and the tap of a finger…now that’s cool!

3. "The Internet of Things"- 8. I really like this one, mainly because it sounds like jargon from a novel about a dystopian futuristic society. However, the validity behind this phrase is undeniable. The internet is no longer a web connecting devices. Now that almost everything is digitalized, from our cars to our homes to our treadmills, it’s an internet of…well…things.

4. “The Year of Visual”- 8. The concept deserves an enthusiastic 10, but I only give it an 8 because EVERY year should have been the year of visual! People have known since ancient Greek times that visual and spatial representation of information increases understanding. The boom of analytics visualizations will certainly pave the way for some cool new innovations by way of interactivity capabilities and visualization methods. Here at Captain Dash, we have an entire gallery of visualization options that allow metrics to be compared across a variety of dimensions, from Sunburst and Sankey diagrams to heat maps.

5. “Integration”- 6, because this should be a given, not a buzzword. The three V’s of big data are volume, variety, and velocity. Integrating multiple data sources is the only way to compare metrics across a variety of dimensions, which shouldn't be "buzzy" or "new," but rather essential.

6. “Going Live”- 0. I will not even pretend to know what this means. When have we ever not been live? I'm convinced this is just one of those “power phrases” which worth little more than an enthusiastic adjective and really just adds emphasis to a sentence.
“The industry is going live with the most dynamic, powerful, hard-hitting developments that will rock it to it’s core.” If you think about it, that literally means nothing.

7. “Gamification” 7. One of this year's underrated buzzword underdogs. Gamification refers to the fact that a lot of applications and websites have incorporated gaming into the user experience, rewarding users points and recognition for using the application/system properly. The gaming aspect capitalizes on people’s competitive instinct, can increase engagement with an interactive aspect, and can actually serve to indirectly train people by rewarding them for using the system/application/website properly.

8. “Wearables”- 6. Wearables have been on the horizon for a long time. The rise of Google glass and performance tracking wearables for individuals has shone a light on the existing wearables and highlighted the future possibilities. Although we've known for a while know about the different options for wearables, the majority of us still just wear wristwatches and the occasional workout tracker. It’s not likely that these will become mainstream just yet.

9. "Going Viral"- 4. 2012 and 2013 reinvented this word with the advent of viral marketing campaigns, buzzfeed, and the fact that every business student in the country was taught that “going viral” is the cheapest and most effective way to gain free publicity. The problem, however, is that not all information has the potential to go viral. With everyone trying so hard to shape whatever message they want to send out in a shareable package, the internet has become overridden with jingles, videos, and “7 things you DON'T KNOW” blog posts. It’s become exhausting.

10. "Hackathon"- 10! Hackathons are awesome, as they allow groups of curious technophiles to join together with a common goal: to produce. Many employees have personal projects that they've thought about but have never had the time or the resources to execute them to fruition. A Hackathon gives them the opportunity be creative, utilize their dormant talents, and learn from others through collaboration. Companies always find that sponsoring a Hackathon leads to the development of new ideas and systems that can integrated into existing systems or applied toward a new product or service. Here at Captain Dash, we hosted our annual Hackathon in January in Tunisia and certainly achieved some awesome results!